Jam Money is the shared musical vision of Kevin Cormack and Mathew Fowler. Mathew (Bons) and Kevin (Half Cousin, Harry Deerness) first began collaborating as part of the Blank Tape Spillage Fete, an ongoing collective project of art and music which focuses on the creation and perpetuation of small DIY exhibitions, related events and limited releases that celebrates the hobbyist nature of home recording. Jam Money revolves around a passion for the simple and sometimes restrictive nature of four-track cassette recording. Using old half-broken guitars, clarinets, charity shop keyboards, toys, family heirlooms, zithers, home-made percussion, and household objects a shared dialog appears, involving both mark making and musical mishaps, allowing the makers to be carried along as the music finds its own way. Genre definitions melt away in Jam Money's music as ambient dissolves into lo-fi rock, noise into fragile, naive classroom melodies. Creativity beyond easy categorization. The first recordings titled Blowing Stones were self-released in 2014. The cover and insert artwork for this record featured abstract paintings by the artist Aimée Henderson whose work and process is a great influence on their music. Having played gigs alongside kindred spirits National Bedtime and Plinth, the tail end of 2015 saw the band travel to Germany to play with The Notwist and Le Millipede for a series of "Alien Disko" nights organized by Alien Transistor, a label with a shared kinship of both the weird and wonderful. A Gathering Kind is the second album by Jam Money: a journey of sound and color, subliminal images and narrative. The roots of this collection found Fowler and Cormack using an earthier, more instinctive language, making it a rougher-edged sibling to their other recordings, with parallels to the home-spun worlds of Flaming Tunes, Pumice, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and World Standard. Henderson's artwork features again, both paintings and music forming a collective language of dream-like adventure. Poignant and exploratory. Melting together acoustic and electronic elements, the narrative throughout is one of a ghostly world heading for winter. A firm fan favorite Stephen Pastel on Blowing Stones: "Created in question and answer form, their songs exist like little sculptures - wayward and peaceful, sometimes whirring into automatic life under the pair's combined attention." Includes a booklet and a download code. Edition of 300.

LP version. Includes download code. It's a well-known fact that millipedes, though frequently referred to as "thousand leggers," actually have no more than 750 legs, usually way less. Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that the band Le Millipede is actually just one guy -- who happens to play a whole lot of different instruments with his own two hands. He goes by the name Mathias Götz. Arranging various layers of piano, xylophone, glockenspiel, Stylophone, Moog, and harmonium, Le Millipede creates minimalist, instrumental pop gems, tracks with an immediate quality that seem rather simple at first listen. In fact, Götz's recordings are somewhat comparable to the work of France-born, Barcelona-based composer Pascal Comelade, known for his use of toy instruments. In both cases, there's a certain childlike quality at work, a disarming naïveté. While Comelade often uses toy piano, Götz is particularly fond of the Casio VL Tone mini-keyboard; and even though most people will associate said instrument with Trio's "Da Da Da" single, Götz actually considers it a nod to artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Arvo Pärt, and Moondog. In order to create the intricate beats of Le Millipede, Götz used a vast range of percussion instruments, including maracas, claves, darbuka, seashells, mbira (thumb piano), davul, zils/finger cymbals, small bells, caxixi, and even mules' teeth, occasionally joined by layers of tom-tom drums, snare, bass drum, and cymbals. Another key element of Le Millipede's sound is certainly the way Götz employs his voice; instead of foregrounding it and focusing on literal messages, he merely adds his vocal layers as yet another instrument. Last but not least, there's the trombone, an instrument that's probably the most obvious hint at Mathias Götz's background; he actually studied jazz trombone and composition (after learning how to build brass instruments as an apprentice). And yet, his musical approach, tastes, and skills are so wide-ranging and eclectic that, apart from recording as Le Millipede, he also plays in bands as diverse as Micha Acher's Alien Ensemble, the Münchner Hochzeitskapelle, the Unterbiberger Hofmusik, and various big bands. Following a 2007 EP with Robert Alonso as RoBErT GoEtZ, Le Millipede is Mathias Götz's full-length debut.

The Notwist release their first ever official live recordings with Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff. "Brothers Markus and Micha Acher have launched various musical vessels, bands and free-floating constellations over the past three decades - and yet: amid all these other speedboats and unlikely sonic barges, The Notwist has always remained the mother ship. This new album documents the latest live incarnation of this very band, which also features Andi Haberl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Cico Beck. Recorded on December 16, 2015 on the second of three consecutive, sold-out nights at UT Connewitz in Leipzig, Germany, Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff indeed feels like a first-hand live experience. That's why it's the definitive album of The Notwist's career. Although there is one song that points to the early, 'louder years' of The Notwist, 'One Dark Love Poem' off the album Nook (1992), the rest of the night's set sees the band perform all the major hits off Neon Golden (2001), The Devil, You + Me (2008), and Close To The Glass (2014). However, these are different, organically enhanced versions, new interpretations and combinations that feel much more alive; thanks to Olaf Opal's incredible mix, they sometimes even outshine the original studio recordings. Listening to Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff feels like watching these songs evolve and change, moving from one frame to the next, much like a baroque triptych. What starts out like 'wimmelbook' imagery, the music soon folds and unfolds like a Moebius strip: Sans bottom or top, sans inside or outside, the inside becomes the outside and vice versa. It's all about sonic interconnection, about music as entanglement, music as reconciliation. The rather majestic, cinematic (indie) pop and experimental, kraut-infused jazz, the spirit of the enlightenment and baroque playfulness, the traces of modernism and minimal music, dub leanings, hip-hop lessons, and even hints of house music: here is where they all come together, reconciled in a sound that's both melancholy and romantic. The crew's back at it, working the instruments, the rigging, with sails a-billow, launching the next voyage of discovery, assuming the east in the west and vice versa. And thus the adventure saga continues." -- Pico Be (Das Weiße Pferd). Comes as a double CD version, in a mini-gatefold, including printed inner sleeves.

Triple LP version. Cover with large spine. Includes three printed inner sleeves. Includes download code. The Notwist release their first ever official live recordings with Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff. "Brothers Markus and Micha Acher have launched various musical vessels, bands and free-floating constellations over the past three decades - and yet: amid all these other speedboats and unlikely sonic barges, The Notwist has always remained the mother ship. This new album documents the latest live incarnation of this very band, which also features Andi Haberl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Cico Beck. Recorded on December 16, 2015 on the second of three consecutive, sold-out nights at UT Connewitz in Leipzig, Germany, Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff indeed feels like a first-hand live experience. That's why it's the definitive album of The Notwist's career. Although there is one song that points to the early, 'louder years' of The Notwist, 'One Dark Love Poem' off the album Nook (1992), the rest of the night's set sees the band perform all the major hits off Neon Golden (2001), The Devil, You + Me (2008), and Close To The Glass (2014). However, these are different, organically enhanced versions, new interpretations and combinations that feel much more alive; thanks to Olaf Opal's incredible mix, they sometimes even outshine the original studio recordings. Listening to Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff feels like watching these songs evolve and change, moving from one frame to the next, much like a baroque triptych. What starts out like 'wimmelbook' imagery, the music soon folds and unfolds like a Moebius strip: Sans bottom or top, sans inside or outside, the inside becomes the outside and vice versa. It's all about sonic interconnection, about music as entanglement, music as reconciliation. The rather majestic, cinematic (indie) pop and experimental, kraut-infused jazz, the spirit of the enlightenment and baroque playfulness, the traces of modernism and minimal music, dub leanings, hip-hop lessons, and even hints of house music: here is where they all come together, reconciled in a sound that's both melancholy and romantic. The crew's back at it, working the instruments, the rigging, with sails a-billow, launching the next voyage of discovery, assuming the east in the west and vice versa. And thus the adventure saga continues." -- Pico Be (Das Weiße Pferd).

Alien Transistor and Tokyo-based label Afterhours present the second of four discs in a vinyl release of Tenniscoats's masterpiece Music Exists. Music Exists Disc 2 functions as a complement and extension of Disc 1 (N 049LP, 2015). Even more incredibly beautiful melodies, more subtle and psychedelic orchestration (Spanish guitar, Casio-keyboards, trombone, drum-computer), and more heartfelt singing and playing. Before Disc 3 sees the band reunite with their old friends and colleagues, the Swedish musicians from Tape, they concentrate once more on their very own language of making music, and present another collection of essential Tenniscoats songs. Tenniscoats have devoted followers all over the world, but their releases were always hard to find outside of Japan. Except for their album Tokinouta (2011), which saw a very limited run on vinyl, and the seminal Two Sunsets (2009), their collaboration with the Pastels, there were never any vinyl releases, and also the CDs were hard to get for anyone, who doesn't speak or read Japanese. In their 20 years, the band has also collaborated with Jad Fair, Norman Blake and others. This is the chance to dive deep into the beautiful, unique world of the Tenniscoats and their magnum opus Music Exists. "It may even be their greatest ever music, essential plus." -- Monorail Music, Glasgow. "Whatever's ailing you, Tokyo's Tenniscoats have got something for that." -- Boomkat, Manchester.

Alien Ensemble present their second album, Alien Ensemble 2. Micha Acher, who plays tuba in the band Millipede and is also a member of The Notwist, formed Alien Ensemble in 2010 as a passion project. He wanted to have a personal outlet that allowed him to focus on his two greatest passions: playing trumpet and coming up with intricate, instrumental arrangements. The Ensemble's self-titled debut album was released via Alien Transistor (N 040CD/LP, 2014), the label Micha's been running with his brother Markus since 2003. Arriving in a similar vein as its predecessor, everything from jazz to kraut, from ambient to soundtrack-type music, from new music to pop is present. Playing more and more shows has, over time, turned "this project into a proper band" as Acher explains: "At this point, each of us has really found his place in the dynamic of the group - also in terms of how we write and compose." A case in point being the new track "Skeleton Dance" which was written by Andi Haberl, drummer of The Notwist. The track has a beat that can only be described as stoical, a banjo that settles on one chord and stays there all the way till the end, topped off by amazing melodies that shape shift and interlock just beautifully. "Gedanken" written by trombone player Matthias Goetz, who also plays in the band Millipede, is the Ensemble's definition of pop: a slow-moving lower end, contributed by Haberl (drums) and Matthias Pichler (bass), that has an almost hip-hop feel to it. Given the certain cool, seasoned and nonchalant attitude, there's nothing cold or dispassionate about these recordings. Instead, the new material's emotional depth is already present in album opener "Arc Trilogy". What starts out as an almost classic "cool jazz" song, suddenly disintegrates and makes way for the only solo part on 2: Double bass player Matthias Pichler uses a bow and takes it into unexpected new music territory. The Notwist's Karl-Ivar Refseth (vibraphone) manages to steer the track towards a more ambient-sounding sphere. The shape-shifting harmonies and arrangements presented by Alien Ensemble on this album are never predictable. The Ensemble keeps breaking new ground, creating one set of colorful hues after the next. It's an album that's stunningly compact and coherent. Says Micha Acher: "Well, we recorded it in just one day. Things were really relaxed and easy."

LP version. Includes download code. Alien Ensemble present their second album, Alien Ensemble 2. Micha Acher, who plays tuba in the band Millipede and is also a member of The Notwist, formed Alien Ensemble in 2010 as a passion project. He wanted to have a personal outlet that allowed him to focus on his two greatest passions: playing trumpet and coming up with intricate, instrumental arrangements. The Ensemble's self-titled debut album was released via Alien Transistor (N 040CD/LP, 2014), the label Micha's been running with his brother Markus since 2003. Arriving in a similar vein as its predecessor, everything from jazz to kraut, from ambient to soundtrack-type music, from new music to pop is present. Playing more and more shows has, over time, turned "this project into a proper band" as Acher explains: "At this point, each of us has really found his place in the dynamic of the group - also in terms of how we write and compose." A case in point being the new track "Skeleton Dance" which was written by Andi Haberl, drummer of The Notwist. The track has a beat that can only be described as stoical, a banjo that settles on one chord and stays there all the way till the end, topped off by amazing melodies that shape shift and interlock just beautifully. "Gedanken" written by trombone player Matthias Goetz, who also plays in the band Millipede, is the Ensemble's definition of pop: a slow-moving lower end, contributed by Haberl (drums) and Matthias Pichler (bass), that has an almost hip-hop feel to it. Given the certain cool, seasoned and nonchalant attitude, there's nothing cold or dispassionate about these recordings. Instead, the new material's emotional depth is already present in album opener "Arc Trilogy". What starts out as an almost classic "cool jazz" song, suddenly disintegrates and makes way for the only solo part on 2: Double bass player Matthias Pichler uses a bow and takes it into unexpected new music territory. The Notwist's Karl-Ivar Refseth (vibraphone) manages to steer the track towards a more ambient-sounding sphere. The shape-shifting harmonies and arrangements presented by Alien Ensemble on this album are never predictable. The Ensemble keeps breaking new ground, creating one set of colorful hues after the next. It's an album that's stunningly compact and coherent. Says Micha Acher: "Well, we recorded it in just one day. Things were really relaxed and easy."

Protein presents The Secret Garden. Beginning with meandering sound layers and shifted delay effects, a rhythm emerges, rising slowly from the depths to the dark surface, clicks and cuts, in their gracile aesthetic at times reminiscent of Mouse on Mars. Protein cites and paraphrases the inspiration which he draws from artists like Neu! or Harmonia, decouples it from its past and treats it with dubby distortion. Build-up and decay, in constant flow, no beginning, no ending.

"I always have a spatial vision of music," says Cico Beck, mastermind of Joasihno and member of The Notwist and Aloa Input. Sitting in his basement studio among self-made synthesizers, records, and weird instruments, he points at a tiny robot beating an electronic drum: "That's one of my new musicians." Alongside member and co-producer Nico Sierig, the band is accompanied by a robot orchestra. But first things first. The third Joasihno album, Meshes, is a spectacular transformation. Cico Beck took off for Berlin to meet co-producer Tadklimp one spring night in 2015. Some ecstatic sessions later, the vision was evolving, captured on opener "Nuh Nuh," an experimental electronic piece winding into infinity with a friendly grin, reflecting the amplitude between modular synthesizers and Fisher Price keyboards. Once you're under the hypnosis of this soft monster, you are floating peacefully into the new world of Joasihno's Meshes. Despite a plethora of oscillating ideas and acoustic bubbles, Joasihno never lose touch with the listener, while sailing placidly through all aspects of Beck's vision of electronic anti-pop. The entertaining Meshes features another nine sparkling miniature gems, simultaneously complex and accessible, melancholic and hilarious, bright and deep. The music breathes ideas of smart UK garage-philosopher Four Tet, the crazy street composer Moondog, and some sort of Nils Frahm approach -- and, of course, pop music. Even if most tracks deny structures and rules of pop composing, they are always interacting with pop -- sometimes with a twinkling eye, sometimes in a deep lust for destruction. "In the end I found out, that I was approaching my own roots, the vision I had when I started Joasihno. I wanted the music to be more raw, intuitive and playful." From this perspective, Meshes is some kind of liberation for him Cico Beck. "I had a good time ignoring popular music," he says with a grin on his face. His previous album -- We Say: Oh Well (2011) and A Lie (N 033CD/LP, 2013) -- were situated in the space between Iceland and Africa. Meshes puts a new spot on his musical map: New York, home of great magicians like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Raymond Scott. The transformation to the complex electronics of Meshes is both harmonious and unavoidable. Artwork by Aslak Gurholt Rønsen of Yokoland.

LP version. Artwork with spot silver foil print. Includes download code. "I always have a spatial vision of music," says Cico Beck, mastermind of Joasihno and member of The Notwist and Aloa Input. Sitting in his basement studio among self-made synthesizers, records, and weird instruments, he points at a tiny robot beating an electronic drum: "That's one of my new musicians." Alongside member and co-producer Nico Sierig, the band is accompanied by a robot orchestra. But first things first. The third Joasihno album, Meshes, is a spectacular transformation. Cico Beck took off for Berlin to meet co-producer Tadklimp one spring night in 2015. Some ecstatic sessions later, the vision was evolving, captured on opener "Nuh Nuh," an experimental electronic piece winding into infinity with a friendly grin, reflecting the amplitude between modular synthesizers and Fisher Price keyboards. Once you're under the hypnosis of this soft monster, you are floating peacefully into the new world of Joasihno's Meshes. Despite a plethora of oscillating ideas and acoustic bubbles, Joasihno never lose touch with the listener, while sailing placidly through all aspects of Beck's vision of electronic anti-pop. The entertaining Meshes features another nine sparkling miniature gems, simultaneously complex and accessible, melancholic and hilarious, bright and deep. The music breathes ideas of smart UK garage-philosopher Four Tet, the crazy street composer Moondog, and some sort of Nils Frahm approach -- and, of course, pop music. Even if most tracks deny structures and rules of pop composing, they are always interacting with pop -- sometimes with a twinkling eye, sometimes in a deep lust for destruction. "In the end I found out, that I was approaching my own roots, the vision I had when I started Joasihno. I wanted the music to be more raw, intuitive and playful." From this perspective, Meshes is some kind of liberation for him Cico Beck. "I had a good time ignoring popular music," he says with a grin on his face. His previous album -- We Say: Oh Well (2011) and A Lie (N 033CD/LP, 2013) -- were situated in the space between Iceland and Africa. Meshes puts a new spot on his musical map: New York, home of great magicians like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Raymond Scott. The transformation to the complex electronics of Meshes is both harmonious and unavoidable. Artwork by Aslak Gurholt Rønsen of Yokoland.

The first part of a four-part vinyl edition of Tenniscoats' masterpiece Music Exists, a work of intimate, wonderful, psychedelic folk music. Includes double-sided fold-out insert. Tenniscoats have devoted followers all over the world, but their releases have always been hard to find outside of Japan. Except for their album Tokinouta (2011), which saw a very limited run on vinyl, and the seminal Two Sunsets, their 2009 collaboration with The Pastels (and a small handful of 7"s), there were never any vinyl releases, and the CDs were hard to get for anyone who doesn't speak or read Japanese. So this release is a chance to dive deep into the beautiful, unique world of the Tenniscoats and their magnum opus Music Exists. Tenniscoats are a duo that has enjoyed a long career in the music scene of their home country of Japan since their formation in 1996. They have collaborated with unique artists from different backgrounds (Tape, The Pastels, Pastacas, Jad Fair) while maintaining their own laid-back approach and sound. Their songs are built primarily from guitar and vocals with lyrical themes focusing on everyday life. It could be their expansion on simplicity that has captivated music lovers of all ages throughout their existence. Music Exists previously saw a limited release on the Tenniscoats' own Majikick label in 2015. "We started recording around January of 2013 with just the two of us in our 10 tatami-room in Tokyo we were using as a private studio. Arrangements were produced without computers by overdubbing on an analog console with mixing assistance provided by Saya. As we sent selected songs to be mastered by Yasushi Utsunomia, we were able to see the tracks grown into a full length album." Tenniscoats wrote and recorded the album themselves using an analog console, a microphone, and what few instruments they had. As the project developed, they were surprised to find that they had amassed several albums' worth of material, showcasing their unique combination of melodies and unexaggerated arrangements. Co-released by the Germany-based Alien Transistor label and the Tokyo-based Afterhours magazine and label.

German trio Saroos present their fourth album, the densely layered Tardis, exploring new possibilities with renowned producer Tadklimp. Since they formed Saroos in 1998, Florian Zimmer (ISO68, Jersey, Driftmachine), Max Punktezahl (The Notwist, Contriva), and Christoph Brandner (Lali Puna, Console) have continued to evolve as an ever-changing creative force, which has now been meticulously channeled into their strongest musical statement yet. Having already collaborated with Anticon's Alias and cLOUDDEAD's Odd Nosdam, the trio open up for another outside perspective by collaborating with Tadklimp, who mixed Saroos's third album, Return (N 035CD/LP). Tadklimp, who has worked with Fenster and Slow Steve, accompanied the trio from the very beginning, contributing to the record's sound and adding his own ideas to their unique mélange of otherworldly sounds. While Saroos usually base their composition process on sampling and the interplay of minute elements, for this album they let their ideas diffuse boundlessly before transforming them in carefully thought-out compositions that sit between pop sentiment and the atmospheric gravity of instrumental music. While Zimmer's experiments with modular synthesizers in his side project Driftmachine also had an influence on Tardis, the members' respective roles haven't changed much. It is still Zimmer who provides the rough sketches, which undergo harmonic and rhythmic refinement at Punktezahl and Brandner's hands, while also taking in countless references. From a rerecorded Rosemary's Baby sample to a koto (a Japanese stringed instrument), every influence is transformed and tied together tightly to create an imaginative whole that aims at capturing the unimaginable without ever explaining it. From the spooky sounds piercing the otherwise soothing interplay of joyful melodies on opener "Weaver's Cave" to the ethereal vocal performance buried deep in the mix of "Orange Book" and the bubbling sounds with which "Sleepy White" closes the album, Tardis cunningly integrates unheard-of elements into seemingly familiar structures. Tardis is thus not intended to simply evoke the time machine and spacecraft from Doctor Who, but takes the acronym "Time and Relative Dimension in Space" literally. Everything about Tardis seems removed from both time and space, relatively close but as if from another dimension. Fittingly, when asked which vocalist Saroos has dreamt of collaborating with, Zimmer names the late Broadcast lead vocalist Trish Keenan. Much like Broadcast's music, Tardis creates dense layers in which ghosts can wander freely, evoking vaguely remembered thoughts.

Includes download code. 1115 are an experimental kraut-rave-IDM duo consisting of grey and fehler kuti. grey operates a virtual 808 drum machine, bass, and organ synthesizer, while fehler kuti uses loops and modulates his voice. Their performances are rhythm-heavy, hypnotic jam sessions that range from noise soundscapes to techno-like club raves. Imagine Dieter Moebius and The Residents attending a Hauka cult ritual or Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Spaceman 3 jamming on a cruise ship on the river Ganges. Released in advance of 1115's 2017 album produced by Cico Beck and Markus Acher.

Whenever Markus Acher finds time between his work with The Notwist and Lali Puna, he sets out to record film soundtracks under his solo moniker Rayon. This time it's Eleonora Danco's 2015 film N-Capace that inspired ten cinematic, instrumental sketches based on loops that loom, take shape, and change colors, only to vanish an instant later. Acher's understated tracks, created with both electronic and acoustic layers, can do without titles -- "Il Collo e la Collana 01" through "10" is perfectly sufficient -- because, ultimately, they're one entity anyway. After all, it's Danco's film, influenced by Fellini, Buñuel, and Beckett, that triggered these interpretations and set the tone for Il Collo e la Collana. At times clocking in at less than two minutes, the crackle of these tracks leads to a vast, shimmering expanse over barely audible layers of bass; it is here, in this clearing, that Acher, alone with his headphones, combines various acoustic instruments (mallets, harmonium, glockenspiel, guitar, piano) with samples, keys, beats, and drum computers; it is here that he meets some old acquaintances (Egisto Macchi, Bruno Nicolai, Ennio Morricone, Oronzo de Filippi) or reverses an idea so that it can slip where it belongs. The entire soundtrack is a purely instrumental, pastoral landscape of epic proportions. Whereas Eleonora Danco eventually released her latest movie as N-Capace, Acher sticks to its working title, Il Collo e la Collana (The Collar and Necklace), and his "collar" not only includes music that's not part of the original movie, but it also traces his path as a musician, with warm, soothing harmonies, melancholy moods, intentional cracks, the kind of freedom usually associated with jazz. Just like the movie, which Acher describes as "poetic and surreal at times," his soundtrack feels like an album of snaps; experimental, shot from unexpected angles, and often "beautifully strange" (which happens to be the common thread that links all Alien Transistor releases). This CD also includes Libanon, Acher's soundtrack for the late Michael Shamberg's 2006 film Maître, Lihseb Please, originally released as a 10" in 2006. Supported by cellist Sebastian Hess and singer Victoria Bergman, it's a stunningly melancholy trip to Beirut that features local samples over harmonium, with nods to Fouad Elkoury's photography and Etel Adnan's writings.

Whenever Markus Acher finds time between his work with The Notwist and Lali Puna, he sets out to record film soundtracks under his solo moniker Rayon. This time it's Eleonora Danco's 2015 film N-Capace that inspired ten cinematic, instrumental sketches based on loops that loom, take shape, and change colors, only to vanish an instant later. Acher's understated tracks, created with both electronic and acoustic layers, can do without titles -- "Il Collo e la Collana 01" through "10" is perfectly sufficient -- because, ultimately, they're one entity anyway. After all, it's Danco's film, influenced by Fellini, Buñuel, and Beckett, that triggered these interpretations and set the tone for Il Collo e la Collana. At times clocking in at less than two minutes, the crackle of these tracks leads to a vast, shimmering expanse over barely audible layers of bass; it is here, in this clearing, that Acher, alone with his headphones, combines various acoustic instruments (mallets, harmonium, glockenspiel, guitar, piano) with samples, keys, beats, and drum computers; it is here that he meets some old acquaintances (Egisto Macchi, Bruno Nicolai, Ennio Morricone, Oronzo de Filippi) or reverses an idea so that it can slip where it belongs. The entire soundtrack is a purely instrumental, pastoral landscape of epic proportions. Whereas Eleonora Danco eventually released her latest movie as N-Capace, Acher sticks to its working title, Il Collo e la Collana (The Collar and Necklace), and his "collar" not only includes music that's not part of the original movie, but it also traces his path as a musician, with warm, soothing harmonies, melancholy moods, intentional cracks, the kind of freedom usually associated with jazz. Just like the movie, which Acher describes as "poetic and surreal at times," his soundtrack feels like an album of snaps; experimental, shot from unexpected angles, and often "beautifully strange" (which happens to be the common thread that links all Alien Transistor releases). Includes download code.

When The Notwist returned with their acclaimed seventh studio album Close to the Glass in early 2014, many were enchanted by the epic instrumental track "Lineri." It was the only instrumental track featured on that album, but according to Markus Acher, the band's vocalist, instrumental works had an important role in the album. Indeed, while the band's members pursued solo projects between 2008's The Devil, You + Me and 2014's Close to the Glass, The Notwist also composed instrumental works for several theater productions and radio plays, some of which are compiled here as The Messier Objects. The collection obviously brings to mind the ghosts of library music and '70s soundtracks, but can also be heard as a summary of the band's ever-evolving musical cosmos. The 17 featured pieces range from sample-based electronic collages to the buoyant post-rock of "Das Spiel ist aus." Whether the band is experimenting with modular synthesizers, analog percussion, or even horn sections ("Object 11"), there remains a constant flow of gentle grooves that makes this open-minded collection more than just a companion piece to Close to the Glass.

When The Notwist returned with their acclaimed seventh studio album Close to the Glass in early 2014, many were enchanted by the epic instrumental track "Lineri." It was the only instrumental track featured on that album, but according to Markus Acher, the band's vocalist, instrumental works had an important role in the album. Indeed, while the band's members pursued solo projects between 2008's The Devil, You + Me and 2014's Close to the Glass, The Notwist also composed instrumental works for several theater productions and radio plays, some of which are compiled here as The Messier Objects. The collection obviously brings to mind the ghosts of library music and '70s soundtracks, but can also be heard as a summary of the band's ever-evolving musical cosmos. The 17 featured pieces range from sample-based electronic collages to the buoyant post-rock of "Das Spiel ist aus." Whether the band is experimenting with modular synthesizers, analog percussion, or even horn sections ("Object 11"), there remains a constant flow of gentle grooves that makes this open-minded collection more than just a companion piece to Close to the Glass. The double LP edition is presented in a screen-printed cover, features an etching on side D, includes a download code, and is limited to 2000 copies worldwide.

LP version. Includes download code. Earlier in 2014, Micha Acher and his band The Notwist presented their album Close to the Glass, and received rave reviews around the globe. Yet, it's not the only album he's going to release this year -- Acher's about to introduce his latest musical entity -- Alien Ensemble. Alien Ensemble is comprised of band-leader Micha Acher (trumpet; Indian harmonium), who is joined by The Notwist's Karl-Ivar Refseth (vibraphone) and Andi Haberl (drums), as well as Mathias Götz (trombone; harmonium), Stefan Schreiber (bass clarinet; saxophone) Oliver Roth (alto flute) and Benni Schäfer (bass), all of them long-time friends and frequent collaborators of Acher's over the years. Unsurprisingly, the chemistry of this group and how they interact is quite unique: Alien Ensemble is a group of friends with a common goal -- they want to explore sonic territory, break new ground, and ultimately create their own musical language. It's an all-acoustic line-up, devoid of electronic enhancements. And even though all members have a background in jazz, this is no classic "jazz music" either -- there's simply no need to show off technical skills. Since you'll hear anything from minimal music to Krautrock influences, from delicate brass sections to the sound of New Orleans, it's pretty much impossible to pigeonhole Alien Ensemble's sound or slap a genre term on it. What's more important: Micha Acher's compositions, the way he arranges these songs and has these great musicians make them come alive, is certainly unique in Germany's musical landscape. Always willing to think outside the box, Alien Ensemble's music ultimately serves as a reminder that you need to get rid of pigeonholes and stereotypes if you want to create true art.

Earlier in 2014, Micha Acher and his band The Notwist presented their album Close to the Glass, and received rave reviews around the globe. Yet, it's not the only album he's going to release this year -- Acher's about to introduce his latest musical entity -- Alien Ensemble. Alien Ensemble is comprised of band-leader Micha Acher (trumpet; Indian harmonium), who is joined by The Notwist's Karl-Ivar Refseth (vibraphone) and Andi Haberl (drums), as well as Mathias Götz (trombone; harmonium), Stefan Schreiber (bass clarinet; saxophone) Oliver Roth (alto flute) and Benni Schäfer (bass), all of them long-time friends and frequent collaborators of Acher's over the years. Unsurprisingly, the chemistry of this group and how they interact is quite unique: Alien Ensemble is a group of friends with a common goal -- they want to explore sonic territory, break new ground, and ultimately create their own musical language. It's an all-acoustic line-up, devoid of electronic enhancements. And even though all members have a background in jazz, this is no classic "jazz music" either -- there's simply no need to show off technical skills. Since you'll hear anything from minimal music to Krautrock influences, from delicate brass sections to the sound of New Orleans, it's pretty much impossible to pigeonhole Alien Ensemble's sound or slap a genre term on it. What's more important: Micha Acher's compositions, the way he arranges these songs and has these great musicians make them come alive, is certainly unique in Germany's musical landscape. Always willing to think outside the box, Alien Ensemble's music ultimately serves as a reminder that you need to get rid of pigeonholes and stereotypes if you want to create true art.

Ever the loose cannon, the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra remains reliably unpredictable with their third album for Alien Transistor: renowned for their elaborate and intricate studio recordings, the genre-smashing 18-piece Orchestra didn't even set foot in a studio this time around, but instead returns with a live album, recorded in May 2012 at Berlin-Neukölln's Heimathafen. The new album marks a distinct stylistic departure for the Orchestra: instead of presenting the kind of sonic splatter/comic styles they're known for (as showcased on Bum Bum [N 029CD/LP]), bursting at the seams with new bits of information at every turn, the album opener features a surprisingly coherent and steady layer of sound that's more reminiscent of ambient music. The Orchestra's last album was all about clashes of polar opposites: Live on Planet Earth leaves decidedly more room for individual statements, for ideas and textures to emerge; in other words: It's a lot easier to tell what's actually going on in the new songs. That's not to say that Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra -- part avant-garde salon orchestra, part alternative jazz big band, part audio logistics center -- want to revoke or amend the bold grandeur of their earlier material; instead, it's simply a new and more collective-minded direction. Despite its inconvenient size and refusal of genre-labeling, the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra has been a steadily working band since its inception in 2006. Of all their releases, Live on Planet Earth probably showcases best how this group of musicians deals with its own unique diversity: highlighting the individuals' approaches and statements, but working together, as an entity. It is thanks to this emphasis on a truly collective approach that the new album sounds more "symphonic" than its predecessor (which daringly veered towards techno or musique concrète at times). However, when Glatzel mentions the band's "organic interplay," this doesn't mean they lost their sense for eccentric, shrill and humorous ideas; neither does it mean they didn't use electronic instruments while recording Live on Planet Earth. They did, but the various electronic elements are more subtly interwoven into the tracks, not at all sounding like anything you'd expect from electronic music. Live from Planet Earth is a live album that not only documents a huge logistical challenge: here, the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra leaves the safe studio environment behind and enters the stage to underscore and reaffirm its position as one of the leading large ensembles for extravagant soundscapes of everyday life.

There's something going on between California and Bavaria, as you might have recognized from collaborations between Themselves and The Notwist (13&God) or Odd Nosdam and Saroos. And on it goes with Jel, the producing mastermind behind the Anticon experimental hip-hop scene, who creates a mind-blowing track out of loops from Munich-based experimental pop duo Joasihno. And here's the small sensation: Jel is not only tinkering with soundscapes and beats, but he even puts his vocals on "Hypnotize Us." Less beat-driven but equally hypnotizing is the previously-unreleased track "Lay Down" by Joasihno themselves.

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack: The beat of riding on a train before the invention of pneumatic suspension was no jazz. But combined with the landscape passing by the window, its steady, pulsing beat had consequences. Digressing thoughts, imagination kicking in -- this principle can be heard on Saroos' third album. The three band members, who live in Berlin and Munich, have toured Italy by train numerous times. They liked it a lot -- you travel more slowly, you tour at low revs, with enough click-clack to make it click in the head. Take "Tsalal Nights." A rhythm, as straight as if drawn with a sewing machine, yet the music lets your brain whir casually and playfully in all sorts of directions. Retro-futurism in a slightly psychoactive form -- more H.P. Lovecraft than Jules Verne. "Spiaggia di Pluto" throbs in extraterrestrial chill, but with the stylish coolness of a Kubrick-space-lounge in the year 2001, whereas "Kraken Mare" lets the listener float through a sea of glacial sounds -- and then, in the closing moments, tugs them in a rhythmic eddy. Compared to their earlier albums, the beat seems so unrestrained that the sound has sufficient room. Sometimes jungle-electro-exotica wobbles through the undergrowth of sound in elliptic circles, sometimes the foghorn strikes up a savage dub, as if King Tubby was circulating through the analog nirvana after a particularly massive spliff. This makes the album not only more organic, but also more social. More man, less machine. When guests came round in the studio, the samplers remained turned off. This, of course, leaves marks. Not all as big as Fenster's Tadklimp, who contributed a bagful of sounds and had his fingers on the mixing console. Whoever expected a jam album from Saroos? But this is it.

LP version. Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack: The beat of riding on a train before the invention of pneumatic suspension was no jazz. But combined with the landscape passing by the window, its steady, pulsing beat had consequences. Digressing thoughts, imagination kicking in -- this principle can be heard on Saroos' third album. The three band members, who live in Berlin and Munich, have toured Italy by train numerous times. They liked it a lot -- you travel more slowly, you tour at low revs, with enough click-clack to make it click in the head. Take "Tsalal Nights." A rhythm, as straight as if drawn with a sewing machine, yet the music lets your brain whir casually and playfully in all sorts of directions. Retro-futurism in a slightly psychoactive form -- more H.P. Lovecraft than Jules Verne. "Spiaggia di Pluto" throbs in extraterrestrial chill, but with the stylish coolness of a Kubrick-space-lounge in the year 2001, whereas "Kraken Mare" lets the listener float through a sea of glacial sounds -- and then, in the closing moments, tugs them in a rhythmic eddy. Compared to their earlier albums, the beat seems so unrestrained that the sound has sufficient room. Sometimes jungle-electro-exotica wobbles through the undergrowth of sound in elliptic circles, sometimes the foghorn strikes up a savage dub, as if King Tubby was circulating through the analog nirvana after a particularly massive spliff. This makes the album not only more organic, but also more social. More man, less machine. When guests came round in the studio, the samplers remained turned off. This, of course, leaves marks. Not all as big as Fenster's Tadklimp, who contributed a bagful of sounds and had his fingers on the mixing console. Whoever expected a jam album from Saroos? But this is it.

The rectangular fields surrounding, shaping, and defining the upper Bavarian village Joasihno call home turned out to be a significant influence and defining factor during the duo's recording sessions for their sophomore effort A Lie. Former sole mastermind Christoph "Cico" Beck (Aloa Input, Ms. John Soda) and his new bandmate Nico Sierig (Missent To Denmark) have referred to them before, and apparently these fields work pretty much like blank sheets -- just waiting to be filled with Joasihno's shapeshifting, rather circular, meandering, and free-floating tracks that are full of surprising little twists and turns. The opening track of Joasihno's second album feels a bit like a plane's smooth landing at sundown. The air is shimmering, and suddenly there's this new thirst for action upon touchdown. Further down those fields, they present a sound that seems to bolt and shoot off into the wind -- "Oh Boy!" -- but also staying true to its melancholy undercurrents reminiscent of the Matt Marque. Elsewhere, Joasihno even live up to Cico's last name when "Some Light" indeed sounds a bit like Beck Hansen trapped in the garden of intricate beats. Over the course of the LP, the duo weaves a vast array of influences ranging from world music to minimal and back -- Cico mentions Reich, Glass, Ligeti, and Nancarrow when asked about his key influences -- into an electro-acoustic tapestry of sound that includes hypnotic layers, surprising melodies almost reminiscent of The Strokes, and some fine home-made soundtrack material that would make any super-8 collection look even better. On this album sonic snapshots and moments hum like an old-school slide show -- in fact, you can almost feel the shimmering air against your skin.